Dear Annabelle,

My mommy finally got a picture of my tooth! I am so happy that you have yours and I am even more happy to get to grow up with you! I think it is so cool that we are the same age! I miss you and want to play with you so badly! I just want you to know that you are one of my best friends in the whole world... much like how my mommy feels about your mommy!!!

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I know it is 5 years too early, but mommies and daddies have to save money... let's plan our 5th birthday parties in Florida at Walt Disney World! We can stay in a suite at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and then have a Princess Breakfast and all sorts of cool stuff because it is our birthday! Wouldn't that be fun?!?!?!! We could have it over Spring Break... and just celebrate my birthday a little bit early! That is always F-U-N!!

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Anyway, I hope you are feeling good! I feel much MUCH better since this tooth came through! Congratulations on your 2 teeth... and here is to happy, healthy, WONDERFUL lives!!!!!

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Love,

Gracelee

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The arrow is a little off, but I did it on my phone... technology is amazing!!!!

It is sticking through... you just have to look past the spit bubble... LoL!!!

Super Cute!

Baby it's Cold Outside!

Cute cap, cute shirt, cute pants.......... SUPER CUTE BABY!!!

New Blog look

I am trying to update the look of the blog... I am pretty slow on the process, so i apologize now if it looks messy!!!

Halloween 2009

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!

(Notice... no teeth in the pumpkin because no teeth in the child... so precious!)

The Carving of the Pumpkin

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Daddy doing the "yucky" part

Carving with mommy

Going into the SECOND Home Depot of the day... which we are boycotting!

My little "Gracelee" Lou Who Complete with antennae

Dinner at BJ's Brewery was excellent! If you haven't had their fish tacos, you are really missing out!

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Awwww!!

She loves her Pawpaw!

Aunt Keke joined us for some good food!

And then it was back to the casa to pass out candy and see Grammy

Grandma and Pawpaw head back to help pass out candy too... and....

this stranger too... ah to be 13 again... Can anyone guess his costume??? It is genius... I will give you 2 clues

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Justin Timberlake and Saturday night Live... You Tube it and check it out if you don't know... just make sure there are no little ones as it is PG-13...

And to finish the night... "Gracelee" Lou Who was completed with a sparkle Santa hat from Grandma... Thanks momma! It is too cute!!!

Dear Gracelee,

Your first halloween was so fun! You and Mommy traveled through the town getting stuff to decorate the house differently so that you couldn't pull the cords to the lamps or get into the fireplace... both very dangerous!!!! Daddy wasn't feeling well because he ate something yucky, but he managed to pull himself together to make it out with us for a little while. Next year we will go to Dewberry Farm and let you see the petting zoo and the big slide!!! Won't that be fun!

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Gracelee, some people may tell you that Halloween is a devilish holiday, but you can do so much to make it just the opposite. For example, while carving the pumpkin there is a prayer that we say:

Pumpkin Prayer"

{cut off top of pumpkin}

Lord, open my mind so I can learn new things about you.

{remove innards}

Remove the things in my life that don’t please you.

Forgive the wrong things I do and help me to forgive others.

{cut open eyes}

Open my eyes to see the beauty you’ve made in the world around me.

{cut out nose}

I’m sorry for the times I’ve turned my nose at the good food you provide.

{cut out mouth}

Let everything I say please You.

{light the candle}

Lord, help me show your light to others through the things I do. Amen

By: Liz Curtis Higgs

This makes the holiday nice and friendly. My point, I guess, is to try and see the good in every situation. Some people are so negative, but I really feel that Jesus can see that we try to turn any situation a different way to glorify Him. When you can understand what we are doing... we will pass out glow sticks with "Jesus is the Light" written on them. That way, maybe we can spread the word to someone who uses Halloween for rotten things.

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I love you so much baby girl! We had so much fun carving the pumpkin, taking you around in your kitty ears, and then dressing you up as Cindi... I mean... "Gracelee Lou Who!" Those will even be good pictures come Christmas!

Love, Momma

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Until the next time, Happy Halloween from our family to yours! May you use the day for good family fun!

Halloween 2009

Love,

The Sutherlands

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Stand up...

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Sit down...

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Yay!!! And Clap!

Clapping her hands at almost 7 months is just about one of the cutest things this child does! She continues to amaze and dazzle us!

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Gracelee, everyday we love you more! How is that possible??? You will know one day, just as I have come to know the Grace and Mercy of our Lord, who granted us the greatest gift in allowing us to be your parents! The love is incredible!

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YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!!!

It's days like these...

Its' days like these that make you appreciate the weekends and being home with your family. It is rainy days that make you appreciate being outside, enjoying fresh air and playing. It is days like these that make you pray of all things to win the lottery. I know I am probably going to have to answer for that later... but I can't help it, and it probably gives God a good giggle at me!

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I love my job. I love my life. I love being a nurse. Now, can we please invent a position where I can do all of that AND be a homemaker???

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Being at home is not an easy job! All stay- at- home moms have my total respect! I don't want to stay home because I don't want to work... It's quite to the contrary!!! I want to give 100% to a job. I feel like I am only giving part of myself to each job I have...

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In my minds eye, a woman should be in charge of the house in a different way than the man. The woman should take care of the cleaning and gardening and cooking and the raising of the children. Is that totally 1950s mentality??? OR maybe it is TOO literal of a transaltion of the biblical text?

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Not only that, but working in the school system... let me rephrase that... public school system, my eyes have been opened to the injustices of the regular kids! Does my child need a label to have rights in the school... ReAlLy?!?!?!?! I want the option to do group homeschooling with other parents! That way she is socialized, but with only children that are like her...

Told you... so 1950s

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WhAtEvEr!!!

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Even if I am a throw back, I want what is best for my family! I know I would be a better mom, a better wife, and a better Christian woman if I could take care of my family at home...

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Do I make any sense?

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Anyway... off my soap box (which all started because Gracelee cried when I dropped her off this morning)... Here is a picture from Sunday morning... such a beautiful day! My girls!!!

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Gracelee New Bow

A craft show is always a scary proposition... but we go anyway!!

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Momma, Gracelee and I went to the Peddler show in Rosenberg. It is always so much fun to look at the baby stuff, but this year was EXTRA special! We had our little girl there!!!!! I was very proud of Momma and me because we did not go crazy! It would have been really easy to spend like $500, but we kept it waaaaaay tame!

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Along with a tutu for her first birthday party, a new cheetah print bow, and 2 Christmas outfits, we got this new bow. I wish I would have bought like 50 of them because they are so cute! Anyway, like always, I couldn't pick just one picture of her because her face is so irresistible to me....

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So, I leave you with a quest, a mission of sorts............

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PICK A FACE!!!!! (They are all so cute)

This is another video that family will appreciate... BTW, she is pulling up on her own too... the kid barely gave me a chance to accept her crawling! Alas, what to do?!?!?!?!

School days: Art Class

Arts and Crafts were always my favorite!!!

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Thank you Mrs. Laurie for the fun projects!!! Momma and Daddy really like them!!!!

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Fall art

Gracelee toes!!

Photos of Gracelee 6 Months

Where Does the time go?

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There are no words to explain the amount of love we have for this precious baby girl!

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We have enjoyed her little life so much... we love every minute!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Quality Coupon Cutting Time with Momma

So much fun!

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I will never forget these precious memories, and never take for granted that a little mess is so much fun... it just takes a little bit of clean up, but provides the most wonderful PRICELESS fun!

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I love you so much baby girl!!

Tunnel Toy

This was a cool toy! Still is I guess...

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It was once a tummy time mat and now it is a crawl tunnel!

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She loves it!

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These were supposed to be before the crawling post, and I guess technically they are...

*** WaRnInG!!!!***

These videos contain footage for family that live elsewhere and don't get to see Gracelee every day. The videos will be entirely entertaining for these viewers, however, they are not action packed by any stretch of the word(s).

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With that noted enjoy her eating the remote, inch worming across the floor and waving bye- bye!

We are Crawling!

So now what?!?!?!?!

The next few posts will be out of order but this one had to get on here first... you understand, I am sure!

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The pure excitement~ the udder joy~ the oh-my-gosh-what-are -we-gonna-do-now!!!

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She is growing up so fast! My little baby isn't so little and she is moving on her own... She is still a snuggle bunny, but at 6 months 2 weeks and 5 days... SHE IS CRAWLING!!!!!

Aren't these PJs CUTE!!

LoveBug!

So cute!

6 months

To my faithful and loyal blog readers... I apologize!

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Gracelee is now at an age that I don't want to miss a second! Even watching her sleep is intoxicating!

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Here is an update: September is always a busy month with school getting started and birthdays galore! Thank you everyone for EVERYTHING!!! There are no words to show my appreciation for your gifts and the thing that speaks to me most is the time we get to spend together! My love language is time together and I appreciate every second with family and friends that I can get!!!!!!!

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Gracelee turned 6 months on September 30th! WoW!!!!! My baby is half a year old... ReAlLy??!!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

What happened to the time!

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She is amazing in every way! She has an amazing personality, she loves people, she is a total momma's girl (which I love by the way), and she is way smart!

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She is obviously up on all fours as you saw in the last post, and now she inch worms across the floor! She can push from all fours to sitting, and she holds her own bottle at times... when I am not nursing her ; )

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She says dada, baba, nana... still no mama... but we are holding on to hope... LoL!!

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She holds her feet and puts her toes in her mouth, which is so cute!

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Justin and I love every minute we spend with her! She is amazing and has changed our outlook on life so much! There is always a beautiful tomorrow because she is in our life! There is hope for a bright future because she is in it... She is totally breath- taking and it is all I can do not to gobble her up! As it is she gets a million kisses when I drop her off in the morning and 2 million when I pick her up... luckily she is not tired of them yet!

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Now for picture time... which is what I am sure everyone is interested in anyway!

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Love to you all!

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Family picture for my 29th (yes 29) Birthday

House divided... GO COWBOYS!!!!!!

Even though she is so stinkin' cute in this cheerleader outfit!

Birthday lunch @ Grimaldi's

This was for pajama day @ "school"

These are our Halloween PJs that were a perfect gift from Auntie Robyn! Thank you so much! We love them and wear them all the time!!!

6 months old exactly in this picture... well, 6 months 4 hours and 27 minutes but who is counting!

Halloween shirt day @ "school"

YaY!!! We need a jacket in Houston! What a day!

I am so in love with her face!

My love, life and everything!

Little Angel, know how much you are loved... because there is nothing in the world like it!

Posting

During her afternoon nap today, I will post! Sorry for the delay!!!!!